Ancient people had two reliable ways of measuring time—the length of a day and the length of a lunar cycle. Figuring out the length of the solar year was more complicated and required close observation of natural events, such as the cycling of the seasons and the movement of the stars in the heavens. A lunar month is approximately 29.5 days, and twelve lunar months equals 354 days—approximating, but not equaling the length of a solar year, which is 365 days. The seers of ancient Egypt are credited with first accurately figuring out how long it takes the Earth to orbit around the Sun. They did this by observing the movements of the Dog Star, Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky (currently visible in the eastern sky a couple of hours after sunset—down and to the left from Orion’s Belt). In first century BC Rome it was discovered that the existing Lunar Calendar was three months off in relation to the seasons. This was due to the eleven-day discrepancy between the Lunar and Solar Calendars that had been playing out over time. On the advice of Sosigenes, a learned astronomer from Alexandria, Caesar added 90 days to the year 46 BC and started a new calendar on January 1st 45 BC. Sosigenes tells Caesar that the length of a year is actually 365 days 6 hours, and advises him to add a “leap year” every fourth year. We have been using this same calendar ever since. The ancient Romans developed a custom of setting aside the period of 11 days at the end of the year, which constitutes the difference between a Lunar Year and a Solar Year, and designating it as a period of holiday, when time stood still and people feasted, celebrated, and partied, and absolutely no work got done. This time period corresponds roughly to the Winter Solstice through New Year’s Day. It makes sense to devote our time at the end of the year to celebration rather than to work. At the Winter Solstice we have the least amount of Solar Energy to warm us and invigorate us, and many people suffer from SAD—seasonal affective disorder. During Christmas we spend time with our family and many emotions are evoked. The year has been long and we have worked very hard living our lives, because being a human being is not an easy thing. Certainly there were some things we could have done better during the course of the year, but we are imperfect beings, after all. The important thing is that we learned something during the year that will make us wiser and more compassionate and loving as we continue forward into 2015. The living of a year is something like a yoga practice, with all the different asanas serving as metaphors for all the different situations we encountered. Some of those asanas were better than others, but it was all sadhana, and sadhana is always worthwhile. In reference to keeping our sadhana in the proper perspective, Patanjali says: Abhyasa vairaghyabhyam tannirodah—“By practicing diligently, with devotion and no interruption over a long period of time, and with nonattachment to any particular outcome, we will have peace of mind.”

Chakrasana (Backward Somersault) presents both a physical and psychological challenge to many. Chakra means “wheel,” which correlates to both the rolling action of the somersault and the circular shape of the spine as you perform the pose. One way to create this roundness and begin practicing the pose is to use a blanket, much as you would in Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand).

Place the blanket under your shoulders so the neck and head extend beyond it onto your mat. Once you have your blanket set up, bring the legs overhead into Halasana (Plow Pose). To get more roundness in the spine, bend the knees and bring them toward the ears. Place the hands on the mat underneath the shoulders and bring the elbows over the wrists. Resist the tendency for the elbows to splay apart in Chakrasana—this only weakens the work of the hands and arms and puts more pressure on the neck, and your hands are the primary source of leverage here to roll the body over.

Keep the chin pressed firmly against the top of the chest and gaze at the navel to protect the neck. Press the back of the head against the floor and push into your hands to roll yourself over. It’s a good idea to use a soft surface (carpet or grass) when learning this pose.

A critical element when performing the pose is learning how to use the breath effectively. Since Chakrasana is traditionally used at the end of a vinyasa sequence, you should already have a steady breathing pattern established.

To try the pose without props, start by lying on your back. As you inhale, lift the legs until they are parallel to the floor, then exhale as you push through the hands and roll over. The toes should point in the direction you want to travel—in this case the junction of the wall and the floor behind you. Push through both hands equally, and do not turn your head to see where you are going or you risk injuring your neck.

The last crucial part of Chakrasana is learning to turn the wheel from the center. As you exhale and roll, firmly contract the lower belly and pelvic floor to make the spine round (in flexion). This helps drive your body over itself, just like driving a wheel from the hub. Keep the muscles of the pelvis floor and lower abdomen engaged during Chakrasana to ensure that there is strength in the center of the wheel.